The present invention relates generally to hinge devices for mounting a door on a furniture article, and more particularly to adjustable hinge devices for hanging doors on cabinets or the like so that the doors can be adjusted relative to the supporting frame they are attached to.
Various types of hinges for mounting a door on a furniture article such as a desk or cabinet have been used in the furniture and cabinetry industry for many years. An example of one such device is known from U.S. Pat. No. 4,716,622. Many of such devices include multiple adjustment components making them bulky, difficult to adjust, quick to wear, and unstable. Typically, one or more screws must be loosened, an adjustment made manually, and then one or more screws must be re-tightened to secure the adjustment. Accordingly, many adjustable hinges may require more than one person to accomplish the adjustment. Examples of such hinges include those described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,295,282, 5,392,493, and 5,511,287. Improvements to these hinges have been made, such as those depicted in U.S. Pat. No. 6,240,599, so that adjustments can be made quickly and easily by one person. However, further improvements are still needed so that hinges can be adjusted with greater efficiency and more precise reliability. To do this, it has been determined that more refined design engineering is required, and the present invention addresses this need and interest.
Accordingly, the above-identified shortcomings of existing adjustable hinges are overcome by embodiments of the present invention. The general purpose of the present invention, which will be described subsequently in greater detail, is to provide new and improved adjustable hinges for mounting a door on a frame of a furniture article such as a cabinet or desk, that is easily adjustable for adjusting the door relative to the supporting frame, and that has all of the advantages of prior art hinges and none of the disadvantages. The present invention provides a hinge that is microadjustable, or continuously adjustable in a precise manner, throughout the range of adjustment provided. Further, the present invention provides a hinge that enables stable microadjustments by actuating a single adjustment screw for each directional adjustment. The components of the hinge remain stably secured to each other, and to the door and the frame of the furniture article throughout the adjustment. Adjustment may be accomplished by a single person without the door becoming unsecured or unstable relative to the frame of the furniture article.
Some representative embodiments of the present invention are illustrated in the drawings. Some embodiments of the hinges of the present invention make use of a first hinge member in the form of a cup mountable flush in a bore hole with fastening screws in a known way in the back of a door, and a second hinge member adapted to be affixed to a frame. The second hinge member is in the form of a hinge arm that includes a substantially flat base portion/segment preferably having an opening in the form of an elongated slot through which a fastening screw can be driven into the frame in a known way, thereby allowing adjustments to be made in an up-and-down or vertical direction. The second hinge member of the present invention may also include adjustment mechanisms on the hinge arm for allowing adjustments to be made in a second and/or third direction. One adjustment mechanism may allow adjustments to be made in an in-and-out, forward-and-back, or horizontal direction. Another adjustment mechanism may allow adjustments to be made in another horizontal direction (i.e., in an arcing or curved horizontal plane) so that side-to-side adjustments of the door can be made.
Other embodiments of the hinges of the present invention make use of a first hinge member in the form of a cup mountable flush in a bore hole with fastening screws in a known way in the back of a door, and a second hinge member adapted to be affixed to a frame. This second hinge member is in the form of a hinge arm that includes a substantially flat, fixedly-attached base portion/segment through which at least one fastening screw can be driven into the frame in a known way. As the base portion of this hinge is fixed, vertical adjustments are made via other portions of the second hinge member.
In a preferred embodiment, the present invention relates to a three-dimensionally adjustable hinge for mounting a door on a frame of a furniture article. This hinge has a three piece hinge arm construction and comprises a hinge cup member adapted to be affixed to a furniture door; a top hinge arm segment pivotably connected at its arm end to the hinge cup member and having a center hole and an elongated aperture with one end open to the center hole; a base hinge arm segment pivotably connected to the top hinge arm segment and having an elongated center hole and a circular aperture; and an intermediate hinge arm segment having a center hole, a circular aperture and an elongated aperture, wherein the base hinge arm segment is slideably connected to the intermediate hinge arm segment with a cam screw or an eccentric screw via the elongated aperture in the intermediate hinge arm segment and the circular aperture in the base hinge arm segment, the intermediate hinge arm segment is pivotably in communication with the top hinge arm segment, and the intermediate hinge arm segment is adjustably connected to the top hinge arm segment by an adjustment screw cooperating with the open-ended elongated aperture in the top hinge arm segment and the circular aperture in the intermediate hinge arm segment. Turning this adjustment screw causes the intermediate hinge arm segment, and therefore the base hinge arm segment since they are connected together, to move relative to the top hinge arm segment in a horizontally arcing direction, thereby allowing side-to-side adjustments to be made to the door. Turning this cam screw or the eccentric screw causes the base hinge arm segment to move relative to the intermediate hinge arm segment in a horizontal direction in and out (if the hinge is in its closed position). The elongated center hole in the base hinge arm segment allows vertical up-and-down adjustments to be made to the door (if the hinge is in its closed position).
In another embodiment, the present invention relates to a two-dimensionally adjustable hinge for mounting a door on a frame of a furniture article, comprising a hinge cup member adapted to be affixed to a furniture door; a top hinge arm segment pivotably connected at its arm end to the hinge cup member and having a center hole and an elongated aperture with one end open to the center hole; a base hinge arm segment being pivotably connected to the top hinge arm segment and having an elongated center hole and a circular aperture, wherein the top hinge arm segment and the base hinge arm segment are adjustably connected to one another by an adjustment screw cooperating with the elongated aperture in the top hinge arm segment and the circular aperture in the base hinge arm segment. Turning this adjustment screw causes the base hinge arm segment to move relative to the top hinge arm segment in a horizontally arcing direction (if the hinge is in its closed position), thereby allowing side-to-side adjustments to be made to the door. The elongated center hole in the base hinge arm segment allows vertical up-and-down adjustments to be made to the door (if the hinge is in its closed position). Since this two-dimensionally adjustable hinge has no intermediate hinge arm segment and no cam screw or eccentric screw, it is less expensive to manufacture than the three-dimensionally adjustable hinge. However, no front-to-back adjustments can be made with this embodiment.
In yet another embodiment, the present invention relates to another three-dimensionally adjustable hinge for mounting a door on a frame of a furniture article. This hinge has a four piece hinge arm construction and comprises a hinge cup member adapted to be affixed to a furniture door; a top hinge arm segment pivotably connected at its arm end to the hinge cup member and having a center hole and an elongated aperture with one end open to the center hole; a base hinge arm segment fixedly-connected to a furniture frame and having three elongated slots and a circular aperture; a top intermediate hinge arm segment having a center hole, a circular aperture and an elongated aperture; and a bottom intermediate hinge arm segment having an elongated center hole, two circular holes and a pair of bent projections, wherein the bottom intermediate hinge arm segment is slideably connected to the base hinge arm segment via the pair of bent projections on the bottom intermediate hinge arm segment that are designed to be received into two of the three elongated slots in the base hinge arm segment, wherein the bottom intermediate hinge arm segment is further slideably connected to the base hinge arm segment with a center cam screw or an eccentric screw via the elongated center hole in the bottom intermediate hinge arm segment and the circular aperture in the base hinge arm segment, wherein the bottom intermediate hinge arm segment is pivotably connected to the top hinge arm segment, wherein the top intermediate hinge arm segment is pivotably in communication with the top hinge arm segment, wherein the top intermediate hinge arm segment is adjustably connected to the top hinge arm segment by an adjustment screw cooperating with the open-ended elongated aperture in the top hinge arm segment and the circular aperture in the top intermediate hinge arm segment, and wherein the top intermediate hinge arm segment is slideably connected to the bottom intermediate hinge arm segment with a second cam or eccentric screw via the elongated aperture in the top intermediate hinge arm segment and one of the circular apertures in the bottom intermediate hinge arm segment. In this embodiment, the bottom intermediate hinge arm segment may also have a projection on its bottom side that is received into the third elongated slot in the base hinge arm segment. This projection may be in the form of a rivet that has a flanged distal end, and the third elongated slot in the base hinge arm segment may be beveled to accommodate the flanged distal end of the rivet that it receives. Turning this center cam or eccentric screw causes the bottom intermediate hinge arm segment to move relative to the base hinge arm segment in a vertical up-and-down direction (if the hinge is in its closed position). Turning this second cam or eccentric screw causes the top intermediate hinge arm segment to move relative to the bottom intermediate hinge arm segment in a horizontal in-and-out direction (if the hinge is in its closed position). Turning this adjustment screw causes the top intermediate hinge arm segment, and therefore the bottom intermediate hinge arm segment, to move relative to the top hinge arm segment in a horizontally arcing direction (if the hinge is in its closed position).
In preferred embodiments, the adjustment screw of this invention further comprises an unthreaded portion proximate the head of the adjustment screw, and the unthreaded portion engages an unthreaded circular aperture in one of the hinge arm segments. For example, in the first three-dimensionally adjustable hinge discussed above, the threads of the adjustment screw engage the open-ended elongated slot in the top hinge arm segment and the unthreaded portion of the adjustment screw engages the circular aperture in the intermediate hinge arm segment. In the two-dimensionally adjustable hinge discussed above, the threads of the adjustment screw engage the open-ended elongated slot in the top hinge arm segment and the unthreaded portion of the adjustment screw engages the circular aperture in the base hinge arm segment. In the second of the three-dimensionally adjustable hinges discussed above, the threads of the adjustment screw engage the open-ended elongated slot in the top hinge arm segment and the unthreaded portion of the adjustment screw engages the circular aperture in the top intermediate hinge arm segment.
In another preferred embodiment, the open-ended elongated aperture in the top hinge arm segment has no threads, thereby saving the secondary operation of threading that opening. Instead of threading the elongated opening, one side of the opening may be displaced horizontally in front of the other side so as to receive and match the pitch of the adjustment screw threads. The horizontal displacement between the sides of the elongated opening are preferably slightly greater than the horizontal distance between the valleys on the opposite sides of the screw thread, thereby creating tension to hold the adjustment screw in position. The elongated aperture in the top hinge arm segment is purposely made open to the center hole so as to facilitate easy assembly. Furthermore, the elongated aperture in the top hinge arm segment is purposely elongated to allow the hinge arm to pivot in an arc as the adjustment screw is turned.
In another preferred embodiment, at least one of the hinge arm segments further comprises opposing lateral edges from which depend a pair of opposing side members that define a channel for receiving another hinge arm segment. More preferably, the opposing lateral edges are spaced from one another a distance that defines a width of the hinge arm segment. Most preferably, the opposing side members are spaced from one another a distance that is at least as great as the width of another hinge arm segment. For example, in the first three-dimensionally adjustable hinge discussed above, the top hinge arm segment and the base hinge arm segment may both have opposing side members that define the width of the respective segments, with the width of the base hinge arm segment being slightly less than the width of the top hinge arm segment so that the opposing side members of the base hinge arm segment nest within the opposing side members of the top hinge arm segment. Alternatively, all three of these hinge arm segments could have opposing side members defining the width of each respective segment, with the widths of the segments varying so that the opposing side members of all three hinge arm segments nest together one within another. In the two-dimensionally adjustable hinge, the top hinge arm segment and the base hinge arm segment may both have opposing side members that define the width of the respective segments, with the width of the base hinge arm segment being slightly less than the width of the top hinge arm segment so that the opposing side members of the base hinge arm segment nest within the opposing side members of the top hinge arm segment. In the second three-dimensionally adjustable hinge discussed above, the top hinge arm segment and the bottom intermediate hinge arm segment may both have opposing side members that define the width of the respective segments, with the width of the bottom intermediate hinge arm segment being slightly less than the width of the top hinge arm segment so that the opposing side members of the bottom intermediate hinge arm segment nest within the opposing side members of the top hinge arm segment. Alternatively, the bottom intermediate, the top intermediate and the top hinge arm segments of this hinge could all have opposing side members defining the width of each respective segment, with the widths of the segments varying so that the opposing side members of all three hinge arm segments nest together one within another.
In another preferred embodiment, a hinge arm segment may further comprise a raised portion that contacts and stabilizes the adjustment screw that is cooperating with the open-ended elongated slot in the top hinge arm segment and the circular aperture in another hinge arm segment. For example, in the first three-dimensionally adjustable hinge discussed above, the intermediate hinge arm segment may have a raised portion with a circular aperture for receiving the adjustment screw after it passes through the open-ended elongated slot in the top hinge arm segment. In the two-dimensionally adjustable hinge, the base hinge arm segment may have a raised portion with a circular aperture for receiving the adjustment screw after is passes through the open-ended elongated slot in the top hinge arm segment. In the second three-dimensionally adjustable hinge discussed above, the top intermediate hinge arm segment may have a raised portion with a circular aperture for receiving the adjustment screw after is passes through the open-ended elongated slot in the top hinge arm segment.
The three-dimensional adjustment aspect of some embodiments of the adjustable hinge of the present invention not only allows adjustment of the position of a cabinet door vertically up-and-down relative to the supporting cabinet (i.e., up and down with the door in the closed position to achieve desired spacing of the door from the top and bottom of the cabinet door opening) and horizontally in-and-out relative to the supporting cabinet (i.e., to and fro with the door in the closed position to achieve desired alignment of the front face of the door with the front of the cabinet), but also enables adjustment of the cabinet door horizontally from side-to-side relative to the supporting cabinet (i.e., from side to side with the door in the closed position to achieve desired spacing of the door from the opposite sides of the cabinet door opening).
Embodiments of the adjustable hinges of the present invention may also include, for example, a base hinge arm segment having an elongated center hole that extends parallel to the pivot axis of the hinge. The intermediate hinge arm segments preferably have a center hole that is somewhat rectangular and larger than the center hole of the base plate. The top hinge arm segment preferably has a center hole that is also somewhat rectangular and larger than the center hole of the base plate and at least as large as the center hole of any intermediate plate (if there are any). In embodiments, the base hinge arm segments are adapted to be fastened on the furniture article frame by at least one mounting screw inserted, preferably, through the elongated center hole of the base hinge arm segment. In embodiments, the elongated center hole in the base hinge arm segment is adapted to allow the base hinge arm segment to be displaced relative to the furniture article frame in a vertical direction (when the hinge is in its mounted and closed position) parallel to the pivot axis of the hinge by loosening the single mounting screw. In other embodiments, the base hinge arm segment may be fastened on the furniture article frame with two mounting screws, with neither mounting screw being secured through the center holes of any hinge arm segment.
The cam or eccentric screw is generally mounted in a hinge arm segment by means of a projection, and then extends through an elongated opening in another hinge arm segment to hold the two hinge arm segments together. The cam or eccentric screw is rotatable about a central axis thereof, and the projection extends parallel to the central axis of the cam or eccentric screw and is radially offset therefrom.
In the first three-dimensionally adjustable hinge discussed above, the cam or eccentric screw is mounted in the base hinge arm segment by means of a projection, and the cam or eccentric screw then extends through the elongated slot in the intermediate hinge arm segment. The elongated slot in the intermediate hinge arm segment extends parallel to the pivot axis of the hinge. Turning this cam or eccentric screw causes the base hinge arm segment to be displaced on the intermediate hinge arm segment in a direction perpendicular to the pivot axis of the hinge.
In the second three-dimensionally adjustable hinge discussed above, the center cam or eccentric screw is mounted in the base hinge arm segment by means of a projection, and the center cam or eccentric screw then extends through the elongated center hole in the bottom intermediate hinge arm segment. The elongated center hole in the bottom intermediate hinge arm segment extends perpendicular to the pivot axis of the hinge. The second cam or eccentric screw in this hinge embodiment is mounted in the bottom intermediate hinge arm segment by means of a projection, and the cam or eccentric screw then extends through the elongated hole in the top intermediate hinge arm segment. The elongated center hole in this top intermediate hinge arm segment extends parallel to the pivot axis of the hinge, as do the elongated apertures in this base hinge arm segment. Turning this center cam or eccentric screw causes the bottom intermediate hinge arm segment to be displaced on the base hinge arm segment in a direction parallel to the pivot axis of the hinge (i.e., up and down vertically). Turning this second cam or eccentric screw causes the top intermediate hinge arm segment to be displaced on the bottom intermediate hinge arm segment in a direction perpendicular to the pivot axis of the hinge (i.e., horizontally in and out).
The foregoing discussion focuses on the more important features of the invention so that the detailed description that follows may be better understood, and so that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated. There are, of course, additional features of the invention which will be described hereinafter and which will form the subject matter of the claims appended hereto. It is to be understood that the invention is not limited in its application to the details of construction and to the arrangement of the components set forth in the following description and drawings. The invention is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced and of being carried out in various ways.
It is to be further understood that the phraseology and terminology employed herein are for the purpose of description and are not to be regarded as limiting. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the conception on which this disclosure is based may readily be used as a basis for designing the structures and systems for carrying out the several purposes of the present invention. The claims are regarded as including such equivalent constructions so long as they do not depart from the spirit and scope of the present invention.
From the foregoing summary, it is apparent that an object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved hinge for mounting a door on a frame of a furniture article such as a desk or cabinet which has all of the advantages, and more, of prior art devices and none of the disadvantages.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a new and improved hinge for mounting a door on a frame of a furniture article that is more reliable and functional than those presently available.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a new and sophisticated, precision-made adjustable hinge that is compact, that can operate reliably and efficiently, and yet enable renewed, limited adjustments to be made to the mounted door with respect to the frame of the furniture article
It is an additional feature and advantage of the present invention to provide an adjustable hinge with a three-way adjustment aspect, which enables adjustment of the cabinet door horizontally in-and-out relative to the supporting cabinet (i.e., to and fro with the door in the closed position to achieve desired alignment of the front face of the door with the front of the cabinet), up-and-down (i.e., up and down with the door in the closed position to achieve desired spacing of the door from the top and bottom of the cabinet door opening), and side-to-side (i.e., from side to side with the door in the closed position to achieve desired spacing of the door from the opposite sides of the cabinet door opening).
These, together with other objects of the present invention, along with the various features of novelty which characterize the invention, are pointed out with particularity in the claims annexed to and forming a part of this document.
Embodiments of hinges according to the present invention include one or more unique aspects. Some embodiments of the present invention include many, if not all, of the above-mentioned aspects, but other embodiments may include less than all of the above-mentioned aspects.